Blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier permeability of metals/metalloids and its determinants in pediatric patients

• Published in: Ecotoxicology and environmental safety 2023-11, Vol.266, p.115599-115599, Article 115599
• Main Authors: Wu, Weixiang, Ruan, Xiaolin, Gu, Chunming, Dan Luo, Ye, Jinfeng, Diao, Fuqiang, Wu, Lihong, Luo, Mingyong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: BCSFB permeability; Blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier; Cerebrospinal fluid; Metal/metalloid
• ISSN: 0147-6513; 1090-2414
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.115599

Concerns regarding adverse effects of metal/metalloids exposure on brain development and neurological disorders among children are increasing. However, the transport patterns of metals/metalloids across the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier (BCSFB) need to be clarified in children. A total of 99 Chinese pediatric patients were enrolled from February 2020 to August 2021, with a median age of 6.76 months. We detected 16 metal/metalloid levels in matched serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The BCSFB permeability of metals/metalloids were estimated and the potential effects of biomedical parameters were explored. Most metals/metalloids were detectable among > 80.0% of CSF samples. Significant correlations were observed between strontium (Sr, r = 0.46), molybdenum (Mo, r = 0.50), and cadmium (Cd, r = 0.24) concentrations in serum and CSF (P  0.5). With the adjustment of age and sex, albumin, β2-microglobulin, and total protein levels in CSF were positively associated with copper (Cu) permeability (FDR-adjusted P